


The Motel

by MzFrosty



Category: Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Big Brother Damon Salvatore, Damon Salvatore & Dean Winchester Friendship, Dean Winchester is Protective of Sam Winchester, Disciplinary Spanking, Gen, Stefan Salvatore & Sam Winchester Friendship, Whiny little brothers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-12-18 13:29:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MzFrosty/pseuds/MzFrosty
Summary: The motel was the most beautiful thing he had come across. It wouldn't have mattered if it was just a tin shack by the road. It had a roof and a bed and heating. It was a magnificent castle.ORA storm forces two sets of supernaturally inclined, very opposite brothers to meet at a motel.





	1. A Magnificent Castle

**Author's Note:**

> This is a new story in progress I'm working on, and I've already posted a couple chapters on Fanfiction.net so if anyone sees it there first, it's not plagiarized. I'm the same writer. Also, I don’t own the characters of the vampire diaries or supernatural. If I did, there'd be a lot of crossovers on TV.

 

**_A Magnificent Castle_ **

* * *

 

The road before him seemed to stretch on for miles. Miles and miles of nothing but white crunchy snow. He sighed as he took in the figure sleeping in the seat beside him. He took one hand off the steering wheel and rearranged the blanket carefully around his passenger. He scoffed at the amount of chaos that angelic face could brew and wondered for what seemed like the zillionth time if he was that bratty at twenty-two. _Damn baby brothers._

Dean spared one last glance at his brother before turning his attention back to the road. If they didn’t find shelter soon, they’ll freeze in the blizzard they were caught in. He strained his eyes to look through all the white outside his windows and windscreen to find the distinguishing features of a house or a building of some sort. Hell, he’d take a witch’s lair right now if it meant getting out of the snow.

In Dean’s eyes, the motel was the most beautiful thing he had come across. It wouldn’t matter if it was just a tin shack by the road. It had a roof and a bed and heating. It was a magnificent castle. And it looked like he wasn’t the only one who thought so. The motel parking lot was almost overflowing with cars, some of them very flashy. Whoever owned this motel was about to make a shit ton of money. He hastily found some parking space, mentally apologizing to the car for the rough treatment and, after a quick internal debate as to whether to wake Sam now, he decided to check them in first and then worry later about how to get Sam to their room. 

* * *

 

Damon wondered why he never pays attention to Caroline when it matters as he tried to navigate through the heavy snow storm. He remembered her vaguely saying something about a blizzard or something as they prepared for this trip. Now here he was in the middle of nowhere, and the storm rapidly picking up. When he meets up with the rest of them, he knows he deserves every single one of their _I-told-you-so’_ s. At least one good thing came out of this mishap, he comforted himself as he looked into the rearview mirror at the figure sprawled across the back seat peacefully sleeping the storm away. His baby brother wasn’t one for much sleep, so Damon took what he could get. Seriously though, if they didn’t find a place to stop soon, he was going to start pulling out all his hair.

Damon was so into his thoughts, they almost passed by the motel before he saw it. With a sharp U-turn that he was surprised didn’t throw Stefan off the back seat onto the floor of the car, he parked in front of the motel and just narrowly avoided hitting some young guy who practically dove out of his seat as soon as his impala was parked. He didn’t even pause to think about what to do with Stefan, deciding to secure a room for them first and then simply carry him inside. He reached the lobby just as a matronly Hispanic woman was arriving at the reception; the young man immediately before him having rung the bell so loudly and for so long, Damon was sure they heard in Australia.

“We need a room”

“Oh dear. You boys have been out in the cold for quite a while, haven't you? Because the last of my guests to get caught in the storm arrived over two hours ago” the woman said to them, chiding. “You boys were not caught in the storm, you rode into it. Didn’t you watch the news this morning?” she tutted. “Kids these days. You don’t pay attention to warnings. You could have died out there”

“Look, lady, I appreciate the concern but I need a room with two beds. For my brother and I” Dean interrupted quickly

“I need one too” Damon added

The woman was slightly confused. “Wait, you're not his brother?”

“No, my brother’s in the car outside. Now would you hurry. Storm’s getting worse” Damon was getting irritated

“Yes, lady. Do hurry up. I can't keep the engine running for too long. Don’t know how long till I find a gas station and I don’t wish to waste any more fuel. So please, room?” Dean said

“Oh… well… that is… erm… we’ve got only one room left”

“What?!!!”

* * *

 

 


	2. Introductions

****

** Chapter 2:  ** **_ INTRODUCTIONS _ **

* * *

 

“I have only one room left” she said again. “But it’s got two beds. King-size. And my rooms are fairly large. I'm sure you can share quite comfortably”. At the dumbfounded looks she received, she hastily continued. “Look, there’s no motel around for miles, and it says on the news the storm’s only going to get worse. Why don’t you get your respective siblings and try to make it work?”

“We’ll take it” Dean said quickly. “Honestly, lady, if you offered a tree house, I’d take it. You cool with that, man?” he asked the raven-haired man. He looked quite young, maybe just a couple of years older than Sam. And everything about him screamed money. From his shiny jacket to his designer boots. Probably just some rich kid and his brother going to join mommy and daddy in some posh holiday resort who got caught in the storm. His reply though, caught Dean a little of guard.

“I've had worse” Damon said before slapping a black card onto the counter. Dean stopped himself from whistling just in time. Mommy and daddy must be _really_ loaded. “I’ll get the room. You get your brother and your stuff. When you get back, I'll get mine”

Dean didn’t have to be told twice. He took a quick glance at the room number and set off to fetch Sam and their things. When he managed to lead a very groggy Sam and their duffel bags into the room, Damon left to get Stefan. True to his word, he didn’t bother waking him; just scooped him up in his arms, grabbed their suitcases in one hand, and marched up the stairs.  The matronly motel owner was right. Their room was a bit larger than the average motel room and the beds were big enough to accommodate two people. He lay Stefan down in the bed furthest from the door, as his new roommates had already claimed the one closest to the door to be theirs. He sat down on the bed beside Stefan, his back to the headboard and his legs crossed at the ankles as he closed his eyes with a small sigh.

“Hey Damon”

“Dean” Damon answered without opening his eyes

“How do you know my name?”

“I could ask you the same question”

“No, you couldn’t” Dean rebutted. “I saw your name on the card you gave to the receptionist. Where did you see mine?”

“I didn’t see. I heard your brother whine it”

“What were you doing out in the storm?” Dean continued

“What is this? Twenty questions?” Damon returned, annoyance slipping into his voice

“I just want to know who I'm rooming with. Make sure you are not a threat to Sammy or anything”

“Hmm. Is that so?” Damon said, uncrossing his legs and setting them squarely on the ground as he faced Dean. “Maybe I should make sure you are no threat to Stefan”

“What? America’s most spoiled teenager here? His name is Stefan? What are you, Italian or something? Stefan and Damon Salvatore”

Damon smirked. “Minding your business seems like a foreign concept to you, Dean I-don’t-care-to-know-what-your-last-name-is. I'm honestly surprised that you lived this long already. I assure you, you do not want to make the same mistake with me. You keep your short, nosy self away from my brother and I. We have to share a room, we don’t have to share anything else”

Dean scoffed. “Is that supposed to be a threat? Boy, please. That weak ass threat may work on mommy and daddy, and have them scurrying around to find you a therapist, but it don’t hold weight with me” Dean said, unconcerned. “And whatever gave you the idea I was a sharing kind of person?” he challenged

“Dean” Sam said warily, having woken sometime during their little whatever it was they were doing. But he could feel it escalating already. “What is going on?”

“He’s not right, Sam. Something is off about him. For starters, he just carried his **_teenage_** brother **_and_** their luggage into the room like they weighed two pounds. He’s not entirely…right”

Damon suddenly laughed. “Oh, this is rich. Of all the places in the world and all the people to be stranded with, I end up with a pair of fucking hunters”

Sam muttered a quiet _what the hell_ before literally jumping off the bed, as Dean pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Damon. “What the hell are you?”

Damon chuckled again. “I would have thought you would go for the shotgun. Go on and get it. I'll wait” he said to Sam

“He asked you a question asshole” Sam growled

“Ooh, such strong language. And in the presence of minors too”

Dean cocked his gun. “What are you? And how do you know about the guns?”

“Oh please. You reek of gunpowder. Couple that with the ear shuttering sound your weapons make when the clink against each other, it’s all I can do not to gouge out my eyeballs” Damon sneered.

“What. Are. You?” Dean asked through clenched teeth

Damon released a bored sigh. “A bit repetitive, aren’t you?”

“Just answer the damn question”

“Or what? You'll kill me?” Damon challenged. “You don’t frighten me shorty. There's only one type of hunter that could do me any kind of damage, and you and your sasquatch of a brother here are not them or I most likely won’t be alive to have this conversation. And while you and your brother don’t strike me as average kind of hunters-you seem to be pretty good at what you do- I can tell you haven’t seen anything quite like me before. Most hunters don’t, or there'd be considerably less of you people slinking around. Now we have to share this room for at least a couple of days while this storm clears. You're welcome to try and find alternate accommodation if you want, honestly, I don’t care - you freeze your butts off out there, it’s just a couple less hunters the world has to worry about - but if you'll stay here, you would do well to keep your trigger-happy finger away from Stefan and I. I'm going to sleep. Try not to attempt to kill me in my sleep. It would not end well for you”

It wasn’t everyday one could say Dean Winchester was short of words, but he looked on gobsmacked as Damon shrugged off his leather jacket, boots and belt before sliding in to the bed beside Stefan, who had managed to sleep through their mini standoff or introduction or whatever just happened. What kind of monsters were these two and why did Damon seem so unafraid of hunters? Usually, when they came across creatures who knew their hunter status, there was either fear or threats of disembowelment or plain old attempts to kill them. But this, this was making Dean woozy. He didn’t like the situation. A monster who wasn’t afraid of a hunter, who hadn’t threatened to kill said hunter - well to be fair, Damon did threaten him, but only after he had irritated him - ugh, Dean was tired.

“I need a beer” he announced suddenly

Sam looked at him, shocked. “Really? Now?”

“Yes Sammy, now. You figure out what rich brat and his brother are and let me know. Beer makes everything clearer”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense”

“Exactly. See you later Sammy. Oh, and don’t die while I'm away” Dean said before closing the door behind him and stepping out into the frigid air outside. There has to be a beer or two inside this motel somewhere

Damon smirked into his pillow. He was going to **love** Dean!


	3. Let's be friends

**Chapter 3: LET’S BE FRIENDS**

* * *

Sam looked at Damon and Stefan and wondered for the umpteenth time how they could be sleeping so peacefully a few feet across from a couple of hunters. He hadn’t slept a wink last night; he and Dean had agreed to sleep in shifts of three hours so at least one of them was awake at all times in case the creatures they were rooming with tried anything funny but Sam had let Dean sleep since he slept some in the car on their way here. Besides, he needed the time to do research to try and find what kind of beings their roomies were. He went over his research again. Very strong, obviously very rich - though Sam was not sure that counted - pretty pale looking - but then again, it was winter, everyone was looking pale - ugh, back to square one, Sam thought forlornly. _Okay, lets take it back from the beginning._

Very strong; a wolf or a vampire. But wolves move in packs and vampires in covens. These two are alone. And are they both creatures, or is the teenager a pet of some sort? He did say it was his brother but what if he was lying? Wolves are warm blooded. The cold bothers them less than humans but it’s a nuisance they don’t like to deal with and they wouldn’t be caught dead in a cold of this magnitude. That leaves vampires. They’ve already met some vampires, and without taking a look at their teeth, they can't tell what kind these are, if they were vampires. Damon certainly looked strong enough and pale enough to be one. The only other creatures that came to mind was a succubus or a striga, but succubus preferred female forms and strigas slinked around at night to feed on young souls. Most people caught out in the storm who were now rooming at the motel were late thirties to mid-fifties, making the youngest people at the motel right now and any potential target for a striga the occupants of their room, effectively clearing striga off the table and sending Sam back to vampires and possibly wolves.

He huffed and looked at the time. Maybe at a more reasonable hour, they could call Bobby and ask his opinion. Or he could test them? He was sure they had some wolfsbane and a little dead man’s blood. He could just put a couple of drops in a cup or something and have them drink it. Assuming they were actually brothers, at least one of them should feel the effects of the toxin. Sam stood to check if they actually did have those stuff, and after carefully stepping around the salt lines, started to rummage though their bags in search of it. In his excited and somewhat distracted state however, he was not very careful and accidentally cut himself on some jagged piece of metal he had no idea the purpose of. With a short yelp and a muttered curse, he whisked out the bleeding appendage and hastily looked for a bandage to wrap it with. In that single moment, several things happened at once.

Stefan shifted in his sleep, grogginess giving way to wakefulness rapidly as the aroma of fresh blood filled his nostrils. The first thing he saw was his older brother’s sleeping face, which effectively told him that they were not alone in the room. He pushed himself upwards and locked eyes with Sam, though he was a total stranger in Stefan’s eyes. The strong smell of gunpowder on Sam and the call of the blood from his still bleeding arm, combined with the fact he was a complete unknown to Stefan set him on edge. The veins around his eyes popped as he vaulted over Damon with a fierce growl and pinned Sam to the wall. That action efficiently woke Damon and Dean, the latter cocking his gun and leveling it on Stefan as soon as his eyes shot open.

“You let him go or I will empty this whole mag into the back of your head” Dean threatened. “I don’t care what age you're supposed to be”

“Stefan, what are you doing? Let him go”

“Who are they and why are they here, Damon?”

“Boy, I won't repeat myself” Dean said

Damon rolled his eyes at the drama. “Dean, put away the gun. It won't hurt Stefan and you’ll just be wasting bullets.  Stefan, put Sam down now. I won't say it again” Damon said, the warning loud and clear.

Stefan dropped Sam almost immediately - Damon’s threats were not to be taken lightly - but Dean still had a firm grip on his gun and it followed Stefan’s movements around the room.

“Dean, you point that gun away from my brother, right now” Damon warned

Dean was not fazed. “Why? You said it wouldn’t hurt him”

“It won't. But I will if you don’t lower it”

Dean chuckled, about to say something irritating before Sam spoke. “Its okay, Dean. I'm fine”. When Dean made no attempt to holster the gun, he continued “Dean”

“I don’t like this Sammy. Its not right” he said, before finally lowering the handgun. He felt a sudden rush of wind and then the gun was gone from his hands. A second later, Damon threw him something which he caught deftly. A quick look at the metal in his palm revealed his former gun, crumpled into a ball. Dean looked up, shocked at Damon. “You destroyed my gun?”

“I told you to get it away from Stefan. You're lucky I like you, else that would have been your neck” Damon said nonchalantly, before turning to Stefan while Dean and Sam were still in a bit of a haze. “Stef, this is Dean and his brother Sam. They're hunters, and we’re staying in this room together - it was the last one they had and we got here at the same time - until the storm passes”

“What the hell are you people?” Sam finally asked

“And they’ve been a bit monotonous with the questions” Damon added to Stefan, ignoring the stupefied look he was giving him

“We’re vampires” Stefan told Sam without preamble, making Damon do a mental facepalm. He then turned on Damon. “Hunters? You got us a room with hunters? Why on earth would you do something like that?”

“First of all, watch the tone. I don’t need your permission to do anything. You on the other hand, **always** need mine. Secondly, we needed to get out of the snow, you know, find you a real bed”

“Oh, so all this is because you were concerned for my neck muscles?” Stefan sneered

“You…things are not vampires. We hunted vampires. They're not … you” Sam finished somewhat lamely

“Yes, I'm a good big brother like that. And visibility was getting poorer by the second. I didn’t wanna risk driving into a tree or lamppost or something” Damon answered Stefan

“Visibility? That’s your excuse? Damon, you can drive through pitch black blindfolded” Stefan rebutted

Sam and Dean looked on as the vampire brothers seemingly forgot about their audience and continued to squabble. Dean used that opportunity to grab a knife and dip it dead man’s blood before hurling it at Damon’s back. It was a perfect target, a shot Dean could have made in his sleep, except Damon turned around with the same dizzying speed from earlier and deftly grabbed the knife midair. Stefan peeked around him at the knife, before scrunching his nose with distaste.

“There's something wrong with the blood, like its stale or something” he complained

“You got that too, huh?” Damon asked, slightly confused. “What is this supposed to be?” he asked the hunter pair before him

“What are you people?”

“Ugh, that question again? Don’t you have anything else to ask? It’s becoming annoying to hear” Damon said. “And Stefan already told you, though I preferred if you figured it out on your own but that was going to take forever.  We’re vampires’ man, you know fangs and blood and all that? What kind of hunters are you anyway? You seem seasoned, and yet at the same time new. It’s confusing”

Dean shook his head. “This is … crazy. I need a beer” he announced

Sam glared at him. “This is not the time for a beer, Dean. We need to stay sharp”

“Its always time for a beer, Sammy. And if they wanted us dead, we’d be dead, sharp or no sharp” Dean counted, before grabbing his jacket

“Say Dean, I know beer is good and all, but how do you feel about bourbon?” Damon asked

Stefan facepalmed. “Damon, when did you have time to pack bourbon? And where did you even put it?”

“Oh, baby brother. Sometimes I forget how old you biologically are” Damon chuckled. “So, Dean, what do you say?”

Dean shrugged. “Long as you're buying man”

Damon whooped. “I knew I liked you” he said, before taking a good look at Dean. He grabbed his suitcase and threw Dean a winter jacket. “Put this on, else you'll freeze before we make it to the car and I'm not in the habit of losing new friends. Alright, Sam, you're the semi adult here so you're in charge. Don’t let Stefan’s puppy eyes get to you, he's really good at puling them off. Stefan, get started on homework and that little assignment I gave you. If you have problems, ask Sam, he looks like a geek. Oh, and Stefan, non costringerlo ( ** _don’t compel him)._** Okay now, be good boys and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do”

Stefan and Sam stood staring stunned at the door even after it had been shut in their faces. Finally, Stefan croaked out.

“What just happened?”

* * *

 


	4. Getting Acquainted

**_Chapter 4:_ ** **_GETTING ACQUAINTED_ **

* * *

Events were unfolding like opposite day. He was first to trust, he gave chances; a listening ear, as opposed to his brother’s shoot now ask questions later. But this, this was very unlike him. What just happened indeed!

“I can hear you thinking from here. What is it?” Stefan asked, without taking his eyes off the magazine he was looking through

“You can do that?” Sam asked, bewildered

“No, of course not. But I don’t have to be a mind reader to know you're thinking of something. A great deal”

“I'm just confused”

“About what?”

“Its just, you know, Dean is like my dad in a lot of ways. A bit old school. Everything that is not human has to be killed, it doesn’t matter if they are the friendliest things. Let me put it this way, if Dean saw Gandhi’s ghost, he'd shoot without hesitation. Usually, it was me who tried to talk him out of it, you know, explain that some people may be not human but that they didn’t have to be killed. Some creatures deserve a second chance you know, to be left alone. But this, this is just…”

“Ah, I get it. You're worried Dean seems to be giving Damon not such a hard time, and that is unlike him”

“Yes” Sam concurred. “It’s a bit unnerving, is all”

Stefan chuckled. “Sam, there is nothing wrong with Dean. Damon just has that effect on most people. He is so annoying, you stop getting pissed in the first thirty seconds of meeting him and just go along with it in order to keep your sanity”

“Huh”

“Oh yeah. He is the epitome of exasperation. The poster boy of everything irritating. But he does seem to genuinely like your brother though. Cos I can tell you with certainty, no body who has threatened my life directly in front of Damon has lived to be able to apologize. He's overbearing like that” Stefan stated plainly. “The worst that'll happen is Damon would get Dean drunk and they’ll terrorize some innocent patrons” he added, before putting down the magazine and facing Sam. “Sorry about earlier anyway. I don’t do well with blood, and you were a complete stranger to me so, yeah, I'm sorry about that. Would you like something to drink?” Stefan asked as he pulled a bottle of scotch from his suitcase. “Damon doesn’t know I took this”

Sam looked befuddled at the teenager before him. “Kid, how old are you?”

Stefan just shrugged as he found some disposable cups. “Which one?”

“What do you mean which one?”

“Well there is my current age, the age I'm stuck at because of the never growing any older thing, and the how long I've been alive age” Stefan ended with a smile. “I though you said you hunted vampires before?”

“Well we didn’t stop to have a chat with them before lopping off their heads” Sam countered. “I think I'm gonna need a beer as well”

“And I think I'm gonna do what Damon did and offer you some scotch” Stefan said as he poured Sam half a cup. “So, which age do you wanna know?”

“All of them, I guess”

“Well, I'm eternally stuck at seventeen, and I've been stuck at seventeen since 1864. But currently, I'm supposed to be sixteen. I’m starting a new school next year. Transfer student”

“Wow” was all Sam managed, before taking a swig of his scotch. “That is one amazing scotch”

“Yeah, Damon spends a lot on alcohol”

“So, you guys must be pretty loaded huh”

Stefan shrugged. “We’re okay”

“Uh huh. Whatever you say”

“Hey, are you old enough to be drinking?”

Sam chuckled. “Dude, I should be asking you that. I’m twenty-two” he said, before downing the rest of his scotch. “Hey, your brother said something about an assignment. Was that what you were reading?”

“Oh that. Damon wants to send me to boarding school and the only choice I get in the matter is which one of these four schools…” he shoved some magazines in Sam’s face. “… I’d like it to be. And it’s not even much of a choice”

Sam took the offered magazines and started flipping through. “Really? Why’s that?”

“Because two of the schools are single sex, and Damon knows I can't go to a boy’s school because my friends and I - they are more like family really - have to be enrolled in one school. Its like an unspoken rule that the ‘adults’ made up, Damon included; something about that making it easier to keep an eye on us or something; but he still gave me _four_ schools to choose from, when really I have just two. He just likes torturing me” Stefan ranted

Sam just watched him rant, nodding ever so often. “Well, then why don’t you talk to your friends? Maybe you can all come to one consensus”

“We’ve been arguing for the past two days on this, even before we left home. And it’s still ongoing. Oh look” Stefan said as his phone chimed. “Caroline said she doesn’t like St. Vladimir’s cos they don’t have a cheer squad but Kol wants to go to St. Vlad’s cos it’s in Romania and he thinks its funny that a bunch of vampires and witches and hunters are going to Dracula’s hometown for school”

Sam laughed. “Wait, some of your friends are hunters?”

“Just one”

“Huh. Hey you know, when we got here last night, you were pretty out of it, Dean and Damon had their first standoff. Damon said something. He said we were not they type of hunters he was afraid of, that we couldn’t do him any harm. What did he mean? Is that the kind of hunter your friend is?”

“Oh, that is a long story, but basically what Damon meant was - and I'm glad we’re semi friends before I'm saying this, otherwise it would be incredibly awkward - that he could kill you if you provoked him. The hunters he was talking about, the kind my friend is, those hunters were created by a witch purposely for us. To hunt us down. They were called the Brotherhood of The Five because at any given time there were five of them in the world. Now if you or your brother came for my kind of vampire, we could snap your neck or rip out your heart in a second, but one of the Five we couldn’t touch. Because if a vampire killed one of the Five, every day becomes a living nightmare. You would be plagued with hellish visions of you doing terrible things to your loved ones and similar horrible things being done to you until you descend into madness and eventually kill yourself. This will go on until the hunter is replaced and the brotherhood are five again. No vampire ever wants to cross paths with the five, and when we do come across them, all we can do is run in the opposite direction. The Five are never to be messed with”

“Wow. That was illuminating” Sam breathed. “So, your hunter friend, how does he resist the urge to kill you?”

“That, my friend, is a story for another day” Stefan said. “If you don’t mind, I have homework”

“Homework?”

“Yes. Apparently, since we are changing schools midsemester, we have to write an entrance examination of sorts and Alaric’s been making us do this boring tests and homework every day so we get in to whichever school we decide on. And I'm telling you, after all these years of repeating high school, I haven't found an iota of love for math yet. I hate that subject with a passion reserved for Nazis and terrorists. I just don’t get it man and I don’t know what all the fuss is about anyway. I'm never going to be old enough to need these skills. I'm trapped at seventeen. The oldest I've managed to make myself look is twenty-four, and even then, I kept receiving weird looks. I won't ever need any of this to secure a job or anything. I just go to school, hit twenty-four, and - if Damon is feeling particularly benevolent, do my own thing for a couple of years - start all over again”

“So” Sam said slowly, not wanting to aggravate the eternal teen any further. “You don’t like math”. Stefan gave him a look that clearly said what gave it away. “Well, if your homework is math, maybe I can help. What topic are you on?”

Stefan shrugged. “Vectors or matrices, I don’t know. I can't tell the difference”

“Okay, how about we start by separating the two?”

* * *

 

**_In the parking lot_ **

“Man, this coat is incredible. I can barely feel the cold” Dean said.

“Yeah? You can keep it” Damon replied

“I wasn’t gonna return it anyway” Dean retorted. “Or maybe it’s the bourbon. I can't tell at this point” he sighed. “Man, if my dad could see me now. Having a drink with a possibly psychotic vampire”

Damon laughed. “Well, if he disowns you, you could always come live with Stefan and me”

“I don’t think that'll be a problem man” Dean chuckled somberly. “He's in no position to disown me”

“Oh” was all Damon could muster

Dean gave a watery chuckle. “I hope you’re not going to say something as corny as **_I'm sorry_** ”

“Nah man” Damon said, shaking his head. “My father was an asshole. Its hard for me to see fathers in any different light”

“What’d he do?” the eldest Winchester asked, turning around in his seat to face him

“We are **_so_** not drunk enough for this conversation” Damon evaded. “Say, what do you think baby brothers are doing right now?”

“Probably writing a letter to Santa” Dean replied with a chuckle, which Damon matched. “We should probably grab them some breakfast. I don’t think they’ll ever come down for it”

“Sounds like a plan. Come on”

“You know, if it weren’t all this snow, I’d enjoy racing you”

“Boy, give it up. Your car looks like it would fall apart if I run past it too fast”

“Hey, don’t talk about baby like that”

“Baby?” Damon scoffed. “I’d have ended it with you a long, long time ago. You are abusing her!”

Their teasing tones disappeared into the wind as they hurried to get inside, one to avoid been frozen and the other purely for appearance sake.


	5. Reality is a Bitch

**Chapter 5:** **REALITY IS A BITCH**

* * *

 

The storm raved outside for a long time, with periodic bouts of calm permeating it. Anyone caught out in this storm would have a slim survival chance, Sam surmised, as he stared out at the rapidly falling snow. It was just a little after 7pm, but it was so dark outside, it looked like midnight. They had just had dinner, and Sam had learnt another new thing about their vampire roommates; they could eat normal human food, even the ones with garlic, go figure. Stefan was texting in the corner and Dean and Damon were playing some weird game that involved Dean throwing knives and Damon catching them. _What boredom could do,_ Sam shook his head. The monotony of the evening was broken when Sam saw Stefan stand up from his peripheral vision and walk toward him.

“Hey, you wanna play a game?” the teenager asked him and Sam shook himself one more time so he could believe that a vampire was playing video games at all let alone with a hunter. _What had his life become?_

“Yeah, sure. What game?”

“You pick” Stefan replied as he pulled out his laptop and game controllers.

Sam whistled at the computer. “ _That_ is yours?”

Stefan nodded. “Yes. Damon got it for me a few months ago” he answered nonchalantly

“What happened to the old one?” Sam asked, still admiring the piece of technology he was holding, before seemingly catching himself. “I'm assuming there was one before this?”

“There was. Damon took it. I don’t really know what Damon does to our old stuff”

Sam whistled again as he turned the computer on. “What do you use it for?”

“School work, video games, skype calls, stuff like that”

“School work and skype calls. _That_ is what you use this computer for. Unbelievable”

“Sammy, should we give you the room? You know, so you can make out with the computer?” Dean teased, before dissolving into laughter with Damon. “What is the big deal anyway? You have one”

“Dean, comparing my computer to this one is like comparing military grade high caliber sniper rifle to a pawnshop handgun” Sam deadpanned. “This…is a work of art. Beautiful”

“Uh huh. So, you gonna play the game or not? Stefan’s been waiting a while, so you can orgasm to his laptop” Dean replied in a similar deadpan, while shuffling cards that he was playing with Damon.

Sam hadn’t even noticed their new game. He glared at Dean before picking Assassins Creed. Stefan passed him one of the controllers and they sat down to play. The medium pitched sounds of the video game and the soft tones of the card game coupled with the sound of wind and falling snow made for a very tranquil evening. Sam had all but forgotten about the weirdness of the situation when he was presented with a huge wake up call.

“Damon, I'm hungry” Stefan said suddenly, shifting slightly on the bed with a barely concealed wince. Come to think of it, Sam mused, he had been fidgety for a few minutes.

“Man, you are one indulged kid. You can't find yourself some food?” Dean deliberated. “There's a vending machine just down the hall” he added, before turning back to their card game. They had gone through many variations and were now playing _Texas’ hol em_. Dean was surprised when Damon put down his cards and got up. “Seriously? He can't feed himself?”

“You don’t want him to help himself, trust me” Damon said, a hint of warning backing the words. When the Winchesters seemed to be still confused, he enunciated. “He. Is. Hungry”

It took a second for realization to dawn on them, but when it did, Dean dove for his gun faster than lightening and levelled it unwaveringly at Damon. “I can't allow you to do that, pal” he said, before cocking his head at his brother. “Sam, come over here”

Damon chuckled and rolled his eyes while Stefan watched in amusement. “Impressive reflexes” he said nonchalantly as he rolled up his sleeves. “But, one, I already told you. Those bullets would do nothing but put holes in my shirt and that would piss me off. Two, if we wanted to do what you think we are about to do, we wouldn’t have to leave this room. You two are the healthiest humans at this motel, what with all your extracurricular activities, and would taste divine…”

“Damon, stop messing with them” Stefan cut in when he saw Dean’s finger twitch on the trigger

“…and three” Damon continued without a beat. “Stefan don’t swing that way. So, you can put that boom stick down. We don’t mind if you watch though” he added before biting his wrist and putting it to his little brother’s lips, staring Dean firmly in the eye with a smirk planted on his face.

Stefan grabbed tightly on to Damon’s hand while Dean and Sam watched in a slightly flummoxed state as the veins around his eyes popped and the eyes turned a dark red. He was not a messy eater, and for the most part the blood went down his throat, but a few drops trailed down his chin and stained the green sweat shirt he was wearing. The process went on for a few minutes before Stefan pushed Damon’s hand away and wiped at his mouth, his eyes returning to normal. Damon frowned a bit before looking at him.

“You're still pale. You need more” he said before biting into his wrist again, only for Stefan to shove it away

“I'm fine. It’s making them uncomfortable” he said, nodding towards Sam and Dean

“Stefan, I won't say it again. And if you want to sleep comfortably on your back tonight, you won't test me” Damon warned

“But…”

“Stefan, its okay. We are fine. Go on and…feed” Sam spoke, his ears burning slightly at the threat Damon had thrown at Stefan. He understood perfectly what it meant, having been in that situation with Dean more times than he could count. He placed a hand on his brother’s arm and lowered the gun still trained on the Salvatores.

Given the go ahead, Stefan fed with much gusto now, clasping Damon’s hand firmly and drawing mouthfuls of blood. This time when he announced that he was fine, everyone could see the change in complexion. He was still pale, but not pallid. He looked at Sam and Dean from under his lashes, while Damon gave a fond smile and used his thumb to brush some blood off his lips. The activity was so intimate and unlike the Damon they’ve known in their short time together, Dean and Sam felt like they were intruding.

“Go take a shower. You're a mess” Damon ordered softly, before turning to the Winchester brothers. “So, boys, what new thing did we learn today?”

* * *

 

A few hours later, Stefan and Sam lay conked out on the beds and Dean and Damon were halfway through a bottle of some amazing whisky. The storm still raged outside, and even with the heating on, the room had gotten colder, though Dean was certain he was the only one who felt it if Damon’s complete indifference was anything to go by.

“So, you don’t feed on humans?” Dean asked

Damon smiled. “I was wondering when you were going to bring that up”

“So?” Dean prompted

“Stefan doesn’t feed on humans”

“But you do”

“But I do”

“And…”

“And we had to leave in a hurry. There was no time to stockpile animal blood for Stefan, and barring human blood, the next viable option was for him to drink from me”

“Do you do that often? Feed him your blood?”

Damon sighed. “Occasionally, but not very often. On a usual day, he drinks animal blood. Today is not a usual day”. Dean was silent. “You want to know if I kill people. That was why you pointed a gun at me earlier. You thought I was going to feed on the motel patrons” Dean’s silence was deafening. “Dean, how do you think you haven't heard of us yet after all your years of hunting? We can feed without killing, so we don’t leave a trail of bodies, and also from blood bags. And we don’t turn our victims into vampires when we feed from them. They don’t even remember us after it happens”

“Okay. Lot of information there. I'll ask about that later. So why doesn’t Stefan feed on humans? Conscience crisis?”

Damon laughed outright. “Well, there's that too. But mostly because Stefan is…well…different. When Stefan feeds on humans, bad things happen. He goes into some kind of spell or something. He doesn’t know when to, and can't stop himself in time”

“You mean he kills every time he attempts to feed on humans?” Dean asked, unbelieving that the sweet-faced teenager asleep in the bed before him could do that

Damon nods. “I'm teaching him control. He can drink human blood now without flying into an addicted rage, but not fresh from the vein. He reacts to human blood differently than other vampires”

“I don’t want to burst your bubble or anything pal, but its been almost 200 years. When are those control lessons going to start to kick in?”

Damon took a swig of the alcohol. “Stefan and I have not always been together. We were on our own agenda for over half that period”

“Why’s that?” Dean asked. Damon raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I get it. Its one of those stories that we are not drunk enough for, isn’t it?”

Damon nodded as Dean tried to hide a yawn. He took the remaining scotch, before slapping Dean upside the head. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed. I can't deal with you when you are hungover tomorrow”

“Hungover? I'm barely tipsy” Dean complained as he rubbed his head

“Exactly” Damon said. “Now check your salt lines so we can get some sleep”

Dean knew himself the amount of shock he should have felt was very watered down. “How do you know about that?”

“Are you kidding? I had to wait ages to go out while Sam was doing God knows what in the bathroom yesterday and you were still sleeping”

“Oh. Do I even want to know what you were going to do out in the storm?”

“Probably not” Damon smirked

“Right” Dean drawled. “You do know I'll have to kill you though if you hurt anyone”

“I know you'll try”

Dean sighed. “Lets just go to sleep Salvatore. Talking with you requires a kind of patience not discovered yet. Good night Damon”

Damon laughed. “Good night Dean”

* * *

 


	6. Cabin Fever

**Chapter 6:** **_CABIN FEVER_ **

* * *

 

Damon glared at the snow still falling rapidly outside. He had been sat there for a considerable amount of time and Dean had a sneaking suspicion that if the snow were animate, it would be in a world of hurt.

“You know, scowling at the snow from inside here is not going to make much difference”

“What? As opposed to doing it from outside?” Damon sneered, though he still got up from his designated spot by the window

“There he is” Dean sung. “You are **not** an inside person” Dean said as he turned on the TV

“It’s been four days already. We were supposed to stop here for the night and we've been cooped up for four solid days” Damon complained

“Tell me about it” Dean grumbled back. “I gotta feed Sam, and that boy’s a bottomless pit. I don’t know how long we can keep eating vending machine food. Anything microwaveable is gone” he paused as something on TV caught his eyes. “Oh, you're gonna love this” Dean drawled as he unmuted the news

_“The severe snow storm ravaging the south has been forecasted to last for as long as two weeks. Inhabitants of the affected areas are encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible and listen to the news for reports from the National Weather Service on short periods of time when there is a lag and they can go out to stock up on supplies. Motorists are also advised to get off the roads and find shelter as soon as they can. Power companies are trying to set up emergency electricity units as it is very likely there may be power outages. Cell reception may also take a dip in quality so if you are caught out in the storm, do try and call your family and friends as much as you can if you have service. It would be a relief to them to know that you are safe. Our prayers are with you, and we hope…”_

The was a loud noise and Dean ducked instinctively as a throwing knife sailed across the room and embedded itself deeply in the center of the TV. The noise woke Sam and Stefan instantly. He stared at Damon in incredulity. “Dude, what the hell?”

“What is going on?” Sam asked groggily. It was very certain they were nowhere near fully awake

“Edward Scissorhands here decided it would be a great idea to destroy our major source of information” Dean answered sourly

“Two weeks? TWO WEEKS?!” Damon all but screamed. “I can't stay cooped up in here for two weeks. I'm gonna lose my mind. I’d rather hang myself by my toenails and run hot pokers through my eyes”

“Ew” Dean muttered, though it was lost in Sam’s semi panicked questions

“Two weeks? What about two weeks? Is that how long we have to stay here? What happened?”

“Storm got worse. Its now supposed to last two weeks. We are supposed to watch the **news** ” he threw Damon a dirty look. “…to know when it was safe to leave the motel and get stuff, but **someone** wrecked the TV. That’s about the gist of it” Dean all but recited to Sam. Stefan had fallen back to sleep already, and Sam looked not far off. In fact, Dean could tell he was hardly listening to him anymore. “Just, go back to sleep Sammy”

Sam didn’t need to be told twice. He just curled back up on the bed and attempted to draw the sheets to his chin-though it only made it to his knees before he gave up tugging- joining Stefan in sleep a few seconds later.

“There is a town about twenty miles up the road. They have a supermarket. We can get supplies there when the storm calms a bit” Damon said softly

Dean raised his head from where he had just finished Sam’s half assed job of pulling the sheets up over himself. “Yeah? How do you know that?”

“Its been discussed very loudly in at least three rooms” Damon said dryly

“You can hear all that from here?” Dean asked. Damon nodded. “Huh. Well, we should probably make a list. We can't be out too long in this weather.”

“Whatever. The housekeeper’s coming down the hall” he announced, about ten seconds before there was a knock on their door. Dean look at Damon, who simply shrugged in disinterest. “I told you she was coming”

Dean rolled his eyes and opened the door, letting in a gust of frigid wind. He pulled the woman into the room and shut the door. “Lady, you almost froze my face off”

“I'm sorry” she said as she peeled off her coat. Her eyes were drawn to the slumbering forms on the bed, though they lingered on Stefan for about five seconds. She gasped as her eyes fell on the knife still embedded in the TV. “What happened?”

“Uhh” Dean begun. “He is not an indoor person” he said, nodding to Damon’s pouting form. “We’ll pay for it”

“Uhm, sure” she said, her eyes straying to Stefan again. Damon noticed. “Look, I'm going in to town to get supplies as soon as the weather people say its safe to do so. You should make a list of things you need. Some food items, maybe. I can help you cook it if you like” she said. “So, that’s it. I'll come back in an hour for your list” she ended, though she did not attempt to leave. She looked at Stefan again.

“Is there a problem?” Damon asked darkly

She startled. “No. Uhm, if you don’t mind me asking, whose brother is that one?” she asked, pointing to Stefan.

Damon’s look became darker. “Mine. And I do mind you asking”

“He’s very handsome. How old is he?” she continued like Damon hadn’t even spoken

“Sixteen”

“Oh” she shuddered. “ _Al igual que mi Miguel_ ( ** _Just like my Miguel_** )” she muttered under her breath. Damon heard though, and his murderous look turned slightly softer. “Can I … Can I hold him? Touch him?”

“Hold him?” Dean asked, bewildered. “Lady, he’s not a teddy bear”

“Dean” Damon said, shaking his head. He turned to the woman. “Come back in an hour. Maybe he’ll be awake then”

“Sure” she nodded and made for the door after pitting her coat back on. She paused, before throwing over her shoulder. “You take care of him, you hear me? Take care of him”

“What was that all about?” Dean asked when the door closed behind her

“She lost her son. He was about sixteen”

“How do you know that?”

“When I was young, before Stefan was born, my mother used to have those looks when her friends came over with their children. She’d had several miscarriages before I was born, and seeing other people’s kids reminded her of all she had lost. Trust me, I know it very well” Damon said

“Oh. Well we should get started on that list”

“I don’t need anything” Damon said promptly

“Of course, you don’t” was Dean’s equally swift reply, as he tore a page from one of Stefan’s notepads and started writing. “I can't believe we are going to spend Christmas in this motel” he muttered

“As opposed to where?” Damon asked

Dean looked pensive, then he shrugged. “Good point. By the way, you're paying for everything”

Damon smirked. “I figured”

* * *

 

Sam woke up about fifteen minutes after the housekeeper left, with Stefan following roughly ten minutes later and both were now watching a movie on Stefan’s laptop. They had concluded their shopping list, which included a staggering amount of alcohol by Damon and Dean; bourbon and beer, an equally overwhelming amount of crunchy junk food by Stefan, and Sam with a list of actual groceries. A knock at the door signaled the return of the matronly receptionist cum housekeeper, almost exactly an hour after Damon had asked her to return. Dean let her in again, and her eyes lit up when she saw Stefan awake.

“I brought you some hot cocoa” she said as she set down the tray she had been carrying, which held four large steaming mugs. Dean gave a whoop before literally vaulting over the bed and making a beeline for the platter. “You should take one of those” the woman said, pointing to the two furthest from her. “I added a little brandy to it. Figured you'll like it better that way”

That got Damon interested as he reached out for one of the mugs, amidst Dean’s grateful _Lady, you are a lifesaver._ She picked up the remaining two mugs when Stefan and Sam made no attempt to help themselves - either feeling too lazy or too engrossed in their movie to care - and handed them over, pausing to run a hand through Stefan’s hair. The action startled Stefan enough for him to spill the hot drink over himself and the bed, causing the woman to gasp and Sam and Dean to look slightly alarmed.

“Oh _mijo_ , look what you’ve done to yourself” she practically cooed as she dabbed at the wet patch on both Stefan’s jeans and the sheets with a napkin

“Get off me!” Stefan batted her hands away, looking to his older brother in confusion when Damon looked on, seemingly unperturbed. “Damon?”

“ ** _Lasciala_ , Stefan** ( ** _Just let her Stefan_** )” he replied

“What?!!!” Stefan shrieked

“I'm sorry” the woman apologized, settling her hands down in her lap. “You just, remind me a lot of someone”

“Hey Stefan, you okay?” Dean asked. “That drink was pretty hot”

“I'm fine” he reassured Dean, before turning to the woman. “I remind a lot of people of a lot of people, lady…”

“My name is Gabriela”

“… I don’t care what your name is” Stefan yelled, before finally turning to Damon. “And what do you mean **lasciala** ( ** _let her_** _)?_ ”

“Sammy, what are they saying?” Dean leaned over to whisper to his brother

“How the hell am I supposed to know, Dean. Its Italian” Sam whispered back heatedly

“Her son died, Stef” Damon said at the same time Gabriela said in Spanish “You remind me of my son Miguel”

“Oh” Stefan visibly deflated. “I'm sorry”

“It’s okay” Gabriela said wetly, while sweeping Stefan into her arms and kissing his head. “It’s okay” she kept repeating while shedding silent tears into Stefan’s hair. After about a minute and half of this, she pushed Stefan away from her – albeit with difficulty – and with a loud sniff, attempted to collect herself. “The news people said it was safe to go out between eleven and two am tomorrow. I'll come back for your list if its still not ready yet. You'll have to give me more money for a TV though, the owner doesn’t like it when people break stuff. I'll let the supermarket know we’re coming so they’ll keep it open”

“11pm? That’s a little late, lady. I don’t think its right that you go alone” Dean said

“I agree. Besides, we’ll get better stuff from the mall further up the road” Damon added

“The mall? But that’s fifty miles away. It would take almost an hour just to get there. And the weather …”

“An hour? Pfft. Please. We’ll make it in half the time” Damon scoffed. “And you won't be coming. Dean and I would go, so don’t worry about the cold. We’ll survive. Won't we, Winchester?”

“That may be, but…”

“Gabriela, come on. We’ll get it done, and we’ll be okay. You'll see” Dean iterated. “Just go and get the lists from the other customers” he reassured. Gabriela looked uncertain for a minute, before finally accepting and leaving. As soon as the door closed, Dean breathed. “Man, I can't wait to get out of this room. Its stifling”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was the one who was not an indoor person”

“No, you were a drama queen about it. I am manlier”

“So, you are leaving to go shopping this night?” Sam asked. He and Stefan had just looked on while their older brothers went back and forth with the housekeeper first, and then themselves.

“Well yea. And you'll probably be asleep by then so…”

“Oh, we’ll be awake” Stefan said. Then “Which car are you taking?”

“Mine” both Dean and Damon answered at once, then looked at each other while Sam and Stefan laughed

“I'm sure whatever argument you're both about to make on why your respective cars is the ideal one to take is very valid…” Sam begun, effectively interrupting said argument before it even started. “… but this motel has twenty rooms, and they are all occupied, some with even more than one occupant. You are buying stuff for all these people. Do you think either of you has enough space in your car for that?” he asked smugly

“Shit” came both chorused replies

“Yeah” Stefan said with a satisfied smirk, before going straight back to their movie.

* * *

 

In the end, they took the jeep of the man two rooms down from them. It hadn’t even been difficult. As soon as they mentioned shopping and the lack of space of their cars, he had volunteered his almost immediately. Suffice to say, being stranded in a storm of this magnitude put a fresh perspective on life and brought out people’s good sides. Now as they zipped up jackets and prepared to leave, Sam and Stefan were perplexed by Damon’s choice of clothes.

“What's with all the white?” Sam finally asked

“Easier to blend” was the curt reply

“Blend? You're driving a black jeep in the middle of the night. If it was blending you were after, shouldn’t you be wearing all black like Dean?”

“I'm going ahead of Dean. As soon as we are out of view, I'll run the rest of the way to the mall, get the stuff, and by the time Dean gets there, all we gotta do is load it and be back here in no more than ninety minutes”

“Oh” Sam said. “That actually sounds kinda logical”

“I know” Damon replied. “We’re leaving. Gabriela would check on you every half hour or so”

“You got us babysitters? What in the hell for?” Stefan yelled indignantly, Sam not far behind

“You're lucky you're not being sent to her room to wait. Suck it up” Dean said, and then they were gone.

A few seconds later, Stefan heard the car stop and Damon get out, and then the whoosh as he ran off ahead. He told Sam all these, and finally, when he couldn’t hear Dean’s car anymore, they settled back to watch another movie and wait for them to return.

* * *

 


	7. CABIN FEVER (BABY BRO EDITION)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains corporal punishment. If it isn't your kind of thing, please turn back now.

**Chapter 7: CABIN FEVER (BABY BRO EDITION)**

* * *

 

Two days later and Damon was still sulking about the duration he had to stay at the motel. It was worse since they had choppy cell reception at best, and he couldn’t even talk to any of the gang. _Alaric would have a field day if he found out I actually missed talking to him_ , Damon mused, as he killed Sam.

“What? How did you… Ugh” Sam moaned

Dean and Damon laughed and it took some edge off Damon’s sullen mood. Damon had lived up to his word and he had bought a new TV for their room to replace what he broke, and now they had it hooked to Stefan’s laptop and were playing video games. It was not Damon’s ideal pastime, but it was something to do to relieve his immense boredom. All in all, everyone was having somewhat of a at-least-don’t-wanna-kill-yourself day. Everyone with the exception of Stefan, that is.

He sat glumly, curled up in the armchair in the corner with an expression on his face so thunderous, the storm outside looked calm. He had woken up that way, though woken up may be a bit of a stretch, seeing as how he didn’t sleep for more that ninety minutes throughout the night. Damon spared him a part disinterested part knowing glance. His brother was more well behaved than most teens but he was still a teenager and the mood swings still came and went. Sometimes, he rode it out. Other times, a stern scolding or a couple of well-placed swats worked magic. So, he knew one way or another, this will pass. Sam, however, did not.

“Hey, is everything okay with Stefan?” he asked, genuinely concerned

“Teenagers” Dean and Damon said in tandem, surprising Sam with the timing and the matter-of-factness of the reply

“But…”

“Sammy, come on. Let him sulk” Dean advised, never taking his eyes off the racing game he was now playing with Damon. They figured, with the storm outside, this was as close as they could get to racing each other. “He’ll get over it eventually. You did, when you were his age. His … physical age … you get what I'm trying to say. Just leave him be for now. He’ll come around. And go eat something”

“I'm not a child Dean. I know when to eat”

“Sammy” the warning was clear

“Fine”

Dean sighed. “We must have pissed off someone upstairs. Stefan’s a ticking time bomb and Sam’s well, I don’t even have a name for that”

“Bourbon?”

“Please”

* * *

 

The day that had begun somewhat okay had gotten worse as it went on. Stefan’s demeanor turned darker, if that was even possible – Dean could swear there was smoke pouring out of his ears at a point – and Sam was pouty. Dean and Damon ignored them for a while, and that seemed to work, until Gabriela _oh-so-graciously_ brought them lunch in the afternoon. And that’s when things got really heated.

“ _Muchachos_ ” she greeted cheerfully as she balanced her serving tray. “I brought you something”

“You know you don’t have to bring us food every day, right? There's a kitchenette right there” Sam said

“Sammy, shut up” Dean muttered as he snagged a sandwich from the plate

Gabriela laughed, as she passed out the hot cocoa she had added to the sandwiches. She gave the spiked ones to Dean and Damon. “I don’t mind at all” she said to Sam as she handed him a mug. It was then that she noticed Stefan’s distinct lack of interaction. “ _Mijo_ , is everything…”

“Lady, don’t… let him be…” Damon and Dean said at the same time in an attempt to dissuade her from engaging Stefan. She looked confused for a bit, before Damon explained. “He’s moody, and very volatile today”

“Oh” Gabriela said. “Oh, I understand. Teenagers, right? My Miguel used to go through such mood swings. It was usually a call for me to lock up my china” she chuckled softly, before going slowly over to Stefan and asking in her quietest voice possible. “I can make you something else if you want, just…”

**“JUST LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE** ” Stefan screamed at her, startling the other occupants of the room. “Is that so hard to understand? I'm starting to get why your son chose death over you. It must be very calming”

“ **Stefan**!”

“That was not cool”

“Man, that was harsh”

Damon, Dean and Sam said respectively, horrified. Stefan just huffed and stomped off towards the door, wearing only a sweatshirt and not bothering to grab a jacket. He shouldered Gabriela on his way to the door, and that broke Damon’s last nerve. He grabbed Stefan, spun him around, and laid a dozen sizzling smacks on his behind. Then he spun him again to face Gabriela.

“You apologize to her. Right now. And don’t even attempt to step one foot outside that door if you know what's good for you”

Stefan took a quick swipe at his cheeks because _dammit, that had hurt_ , and glared at his brother. “Bite me” he said darkly before brushing past them both and into the cold outside, leaving Sam with a mouth hanging open at the sheer impudence of it

Damon quickly pulled on a jacket and went after his little brother, hoping he had enough awareness left not to blur down the corridors or jump down from their floor in full view of the motel patrons. Dean also pulled on a jacket, shaking his head at Sam when the latter tried to follow him outside as well. Sam attempted to argue, and only got a warning instead.

“You so much as get off that bed Sammy and Stefan isn’t the only one going to find sitting very unappealing for the next few days”

Sam blushed red as Gabriela was still around when Dean said that, and plopped himself miserably on the bed. Dean escorted Gabriela to her rooms downstairs, and made it back just in time to see Damon dragging Stefan by the ear and Sam by the arm back into their room.

“Let go of me” Stefan yelled, struggling in his brother’s grip, though Damon didn’t give any indication that it was bothering him. Instead he pushed Sam further into the room.

“Go warm up” he ordered. “It was very foolish of you to go out in the storm like that, Sam” he admonished, before swiftly pulling Stefan over his knee without a beat, the sudden change of pace and position making the boy’s vision swim.

“Oh, he’s going to be toasty all right. In more ways than one” Dean said grimly, stalking towards a rapidly paling Sam while pulling off his belt.

* * *

 

“What **WHACK** did I say **WHACK** about getting off **WHACK** that damn bed, Sammy? **WHACK** ” Dean begun as he starting whacking at Sam.

“Ah, Dean stop it” Sam screeched

“What **WHACK** did **WHACK** I **WHACK** say? **WHACK** ” Dean enunciated

“Not to. You said not to get off the bed. Dean please, I just…”

“And **WHACK** what **WHACK** did **WHACK** you **WHACK** do **WHACK** anyway?”

“I got off the bed…”

“And? **WHACK** ”

“And went outside. Ow ow ow”

“In a **WHACK** damn **WHACK** shirt. In a cold **WHACK** of **WHACK** this **WHACK** magnitude. Are **WHACK** you **WHACK** insane? **WHACK** There is a literal **WHACK** blizzard **WHACK** out there, **WHACK** and you went out **WHACK** anyway, **WHACK** inadequately dressed, I might add. **WHACK** Were you trying **WHACK** to freeze **WHACK** your **WHACK** ass **WHACK** off?”

“It feels really warm now, I don’t think that will be a problem” Sam muttered, eyes tightly closed

“Are you sassing me right now, little boy?”

“No sir” Sam said quickly as he choked on a sob. Dean was not playing around with those swats. He suddenly felt very sorry for Stefan. If this was what he was feeling with the protection of his jeans, Stefan had it way worse.

Stefan landed over damn’s knees with a thud, and even though on some level he knew the position meant nothing but pain for his backside, he was too riled up to care. That is, until Damon swept his jeans and boxers down to his knees and started landing swat after searing swat on his bare hindquarters. He had enough awareness left to see Dean shove Sammy over the back of the armchair and start whaling at him with a belt – _he got to keep his pants, the lucky bastard –_ before the building heat in his backside brought him back to his own situation, and Damon’s lecture. _When had that even begun?_

“When I tell you **SWAT** not to do something **SWAT** I don’t say it **SWAT** to hear myself talk **SWAT** You do not **SWAT** walk outside **SWAT** in the middle of a snow storm **SWAT** in nothing but jeans **SWAT** and a sweatshirt **SWAT** just because you **SWAT** are **SWAT** having **SWAT** a bad **SWAT** day **SWAT** There are humans in this motel, Stefan **SWAT** We do not **SWAT** expose ourselves **SWAT** in that way”

“You threw a knife into the TV. I don’t think you're in a any position to tell me how to behave when I'm having a bad day” Stefan hiccupped gruffly, not ready yet to concede despite the growing heat in his backside

“That is not the point” Damon smacked harder, eliciting a small _ow_ from Stefan. “And I would watch that tone considering your position at the moment”

Sam’s sorriness for Stefan suddenly flew out the window when Dean started to pull his own jeans to his knees, followed quickly by his briefs. A cold breeze blew over his bottom and brought him some relief from the burning for a second, but all that was lost when Dean brought the belt down on his now unprotected backside.

“Dean wait, please. I didn’t mean to … P-please. Ow. Deeaaannn!” Sam howled, tears rapidly pouring down his face

“This **WHACK** will teach **WHACK** you **WHACK** to be **WHACK** a **WHACK** smart mouth” Dean said as he laid a dozen blistering stripes on his brother’s bottom

“Ow, please Damon”

“Please, what”

“I'm sorry, okay. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. Will you let me up now?”

“Whatever you did? Dean, throw me that hairbrush” Damon said, irritation seeping into his voice. He caught the brush deftly and brought it cashing down on the very deserving bottom before him, before Stefan had time to protest. “I don’t know what **SLAP** has gotten into you today **SLAP** but this **SLAP** stops **SLAP** now **SLAP** You do not **SLAP** show that kind of disrespect **SLAP** to someone like Gabriela **SLAP** That was low **SLAP** and as soon as we are done here **SLAP,** you're going **SLAP** to march **SLAP** your little behind **SLAP** downstairs **SLAP** and apologize **SLAP**. Understood? **SLAP** ” When he was met with nothing but silence and sobs, he swatted harder, wondering just what had gotten into his little brother, and making Stefan jump. “I **SLAP** said, **SLAP** do **SLAP** you **SLAP** understand? **SLAP** ” Stefan nodded. “I can't hear you nod Stefan”

“Yes s-sir” Stefan sobbed, nodding along vigorously. “Ow. Damon please. It hurts”

“Good. Now you mind explaining to me where this horrible attitude is from? Its never been this bad before” Silence again. “Stefan?”

“It’s n-nothing”

“I will caution against lying to me Stefan, considering your ass is facing my brush” a chuckle was heard from Dean somewhere in the room, as he run his hand through Sam’s hair and rubbed his back

“I _hic_ I'm n-not lying _hic_ honest. I just, I d-don’t kno-know _hic_ what’s wro-wrong with m-me” Stefan hiccupped through the sentence, miserable and very, very sorry

Damon sighed. “Alright. After you apologize to Gabriela, you're gonna take a nap. A long one. See if that will get rid of this crankiness”, he raised one knee and dropped the other. “Let’s finish this”

By the time Stefan’s brain caught up, Damon had already laid ten agonizing smacks on the crease of his bottom; thankfully with his hand, though at this point it could have been with a hot poker for all Stefan cared as he screamed his guts out. Damon was grateful to the storm and whistling wind outside as he was certain they were the only reason no one was breaking down their door to see who was being tortured.

* * *

 

Dean took a sip of his beer and placed it back onto the table. Bourbon and scotch and whiskey and all those fancy rich people drinks were good and all but sometimes a beer is the best way to go, especially the rich upmarket ones Damon had bought packs of on their visit to the mall. He was playing cards with Damon, who stuck to his bourbon no matter what Dean said about the amazing beer. From the corner of his eye, he saw Gabriela still fawning over Sam and Stefan, even though they had long fallen into deep sleep.

After Damon’s ‘talk’ with Stefan, he had marched him down to Gabriela’s room, where he apologized honestly and tearfully. Then, he had been marched back to their room and after a few hugs and kisses to the head, put to bed. Dean had done the same with Sam earlier with the exception of the apology part, and both boys were half asleep before Gabriela came back in. The glare she threw in Damon and Dean’s direction was enough to shut down whatever they would have said as she started mothering the contrite boys half to death.

“Gabriela, they are definitely asleep now. Why don’t you go and get some rest?” Damon offered. “Or you can make them something nice for dinner, and come pamper them some more?”

The woman huffed. “Fine” she conceded, gathering her dishes and leaving

“I think you were a bit harsh with Sam today” Damon said, reshuffling the cards. “I mean, he shouldn’t have gone outside so scantily dressed but still”

Dean nodded, taking another swig of his beer. “I know. I may have overreacted a bit. It’s just… Sam is… I've always been responsible for Sam, lets just leave it at that”

“I get it. Its another of those conversations we are not drunk enough for, isn’t it?”

Dean chuckled. “You could say so”

“Well, how about we pretend that today, we are drunk enough to have that conversation?” Damon proposed, raising an eyebrow at Dean

They talked for half an hour, and even though they both left a lot of things out about their individual messed up lives, they got the gist of it. When it was over, Dean got up to refill Damon’s glass and grab another beer for himself. He plopped the glass in front of Damon as he retook his seat.

“So, doppelganger huh?”

“Yep. Rarer than volcanic lightning and I still got saddled with the only one for the nearest possible future” Damon said. “Demon blood, huh?”

“Yep” Dean repeated. “Little brothers, right”

“Little brothers”

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took longer to update than usual. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner but no promises.


	8. A Satisfactory Holiday

**Chapter 8: A SATISFACTORY HOLIDAY**

* * *

 

Dean didn’t know when he fell asleep or why he was up this early – on Christmas day no less (he was not one for festivities). The snow was still coming down in torrents as he stepped out of bed - at this point it was more of background noise than anything really, that was how much they had gotten used to it. He moved as quietly as possible so as not to wake Sam and Stefan. He sighed softly in relief at the sight of Stefan’s sleeping face; the boy was weird. Vampire or not, everybody needed sleep, and waking up some nights to see Stefan cleaning their weapons was creepy. Sometimes Sam was with him, another insomniac brat, and at this stage, their weapons were so well cared for and shone so much Dean was sure some of their next evil things will die from the blinding brightness alone. He was so lost in his thoughts, he almost missed it. 

The neatly wrapped presents on the table were not there when he went to sleep, Dean was certain. And seeing as Damon was the only person awake by the time he made it to bed, Dean came to a conclusion; the raven-haired irritation snuck out after he had gone to bed to get gifts. Even though it didn’t seem like something the Damon Salvatore Dean had come to know in their short stay was likely to do, he also knew that he’d do anything to put a smile on his eternal teenage brother’s face. And with that dizzying vampire speed, it was entirely possible for him to whiz to the mall and back in just a few minutes. Still, it didn’t stop Dean from rudely jerking him awake.

“Hey, when did you make time to get presents?” Dean asked as soon as Damon opened a very sleepy blue eye

“What the hell are you talking about?” came the semi expected retort

Dean simply cocked his head to one side. Damon followed his eyes and found the wrapped gifts. He was instantly awake. “You gotta be kidding me. They can send over parcels on Christmas day but not get me out of this hellhole?”

“Wait, you didn’t do that?” Dean was confused. _If he didn’t then who did?_

“No, I did not” Damon snipped as he grabbed his phone. He gave a short yip of joy at the bars on the screen before dialing a number. The storm had been worse the last couple of days, and along with it came the loss of cell reception. They’ve been in the motel for over a week now, and as evidenced by the parcels, it was Christmas. Damon smirked at the time that flashed briefly on his screen. _Serves them right if there were still in bed._

* * *

 

_“Caroline, hold up. Slow down. What… I know school reopens in a couple of weeks; you think it was my choice to get stuck in this storm?... yes Caroline, I know… would you stop interrupting… **CAROLINE!** Stefan’s jacket size hasn’t changed in the last two hundred odd years, I doubt it’s changed within the last week. Now hand over the damn phone to Ric or Elijah, will you?”_

Sam and Dean chuckled while Stefan all out laughed at Damon’s phone call. Cell reception had been choppy at best, and by the time Damon found a strong enough signal to complete his call, his animated pacing and loud cursing had woken Sam and Stefan.

“You wouldn’t believe what they were arguing about” Stefan laughed as he picked up a package that had his name on it

“You can hear what the other person is saying?” Sam asked, a bit surprised

Stefan nodded. “Of course. Caroline’s going on about how we have to be ready for school in a couple of weeks and I'm stuck here. Since its boarding school, the others might have to get my shopping done along with theirs…”

“… and let me guess, she wanted your jacket size” Dean said

Stefan nodded again. “You all know how it went from there”

“But I thought you still hadn’t decided which school yet” Sam asked

“You don’t know Caroline. She’s nothing if not meticulous, especially if she has Rebekah with her. Besides, the stuff we need are not that different between both schools” Stefan shrugged, tearing away the last piece of wrapping paper from the box

“What did you get?” Sam asked, curious

“A Lego set” Stefan replied forlornly

Dean suddenly whistled. He had been going through the magazine Stefan had shown Sam days earlier. “Check out these tuitions. What do they teach at these schools, resurrection?”

Sam laughed, at both Stefan and Dean’s reactions, before pulling the curtains and gazing out the window. “Has this storm let up any at all since we got here?”

“Why? You got somewhere you’d rather be?” his brother asked, flipping the current page of the magazine

“We were supposed to do Christmas at Bobby’s, Dean, not in some motel in the middle of a snow storm”

“Yea, well, shit happens”

_“No, you don’t understand Bonnie. If I stay here any longer, I'm going to die. Literally…”_

“Bit of a drama queen, isn’t he?” Dean asked after Damon practically screamed into the phone

“He doesn’t like being cooped up” Stefan replied as Damon continued to speak in a frenzy into the phone. He picked up another parcel, only to shove it into Dean’s face after a moment of mild surprise. “This one’s for you”

“Me?” Dean’s shock was understandable

_“…You need to do something to get us out of here, channel the damn storm or something I don’t know. It’s supposed to be getting better Bonnie, but it just keeps getting worse…”_

“She can do that?” Sam asked, also curious about his brother’s parcel from someone they hadn’t even met before. “That’s your witch friend, right?”

Stefan nodded. “Yes, Bonnie’s a witch but I don’t know if she can do that. She can do a lot of incredible stuff but even she doesn’t know the extent of her powers. No one does really”

“She’s quite something, isn’t she?

“Oh, she’s something all right. You would love her”

“Hmm. I'm yet to meet a witch I don’t wanna kill” Dean muttered absentmindedly while ripping the gift wrapping to shreds.

“What is it?” Sam asked, after Dean suddenly paused

“It’s a gun” Dean was awed. “And it came with a note too”

_“This isn’t funny Bon… is it some kind of punishment, huh? Is Ric punishing me? Is that it?... what, I already said I was sorry. How many times… I don’t give a flying fuck about Stefan’s homework; you tell Ric that…”_

“I'm done with homework” Stefan sung with a laugh, knowing it will irritate his brother further

“I don’t care” Damon yelled at him before returning to Bonnie on the phone. _“Oh Ric, thank god. Where have you… what, why…”_

Sam felt Stefan stiffen, since he was sat so close to him. “What's wrong?” he asked the teen

“New school” was the immediate reply

“Yea, but you already knew …”

“No. _New_ , new school” Stefan clarified, pushing himself into a sitting position and now attentively listening to Damon’s call. “Damon, what happened to St. Vladimir’s?”

The older vampire lifted a finger to tell him to hold on. Stefan just rolled his eyes and turned back to his iPod, indifferent.

“Wait, aren’t you bothered that the school was changed?” Sam asked, not understanding his attitude

“Not everyone is as enthusiastic about school as you are Sam” Dean said blandly, reading the note that was attached to the shiny new gun on the bed beside him. “Just leave it alone”

Stefan shrugged. “Stuff like school are deemed ‘important’” he begun, the air quotes telling Sam exactly what he thought of the idea. “and we don’t get much choice in them. They just pick the schools, and we attend. I was kinda surprised we were allowed to even choose between schools earlier, to be honest, so this dramatic change of mind doesn’t come as a surprise to me at all. You learn to roll with it” he ended, shoving some cookies into his mouth while picking up a third present

“Wow” was all Sam managed, before moving his attention back to his brother. “Dean, what's the note say?”

“’For the one Damon destroyed’ There's more, but that’s all that matters to me” Dean said as he handed Sam the note. “I wish Sam had been that accommodating. It would’ve saved me a lot of money on the gas I spent to come see your sorry ass at Stanford” Dean said

Sam glared at his brother. “The number of times you came to California can be counted on one hand, Dean”

“So? Even if it was just once, I came, didn’t I?”

“Hey, I thought vampires are supposed to feed on blood”

“We do feed on blood” Dean rolled his eyes from his position. “But that doesn’t mean we can't eat. We don’t need the nutrients or anything, but it helps with the blood cravings. And they taste good. Don’t you get bored with one food all the time?” he asked, before giving a ‘yes’ in glee at the unwrapped present. “This is definitely from Kol” he muttered

“How do you know?” Dean asked

“Cos it’s still got the price tag, and the shoddy wrapping. It was got last minute, and Kol is the only one who buys stuff last minute” Stefan explained, ecstatic as he pulled a shiny new skateboard from the box

“You're bored? With blood. You are a vampire and you find blood boring?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it is essential for our survival but that doesn’t mean we have to drink it twenty-four seven. A Little variety never killed anyone. As long as we have blood on a frequent basis, it doesn’t matter what we eat” Stefan explained.

“Sammy, the world’s most beautiful board is right here and you want to talk about food? Dean asked, as he examined the board. “Jesus Christ, this thing costs more than my car” he exclaimed as the price tag came into view. “Sammy, why don’t we have rich friends?”

“You do now” Stefan laughed at his reaction. “Oh, that reminds me, who wants some chocolate?” he sang

“You have chocolate in your bag” Sam deadpanned

“Yeah. I was grounded on Halloween. Damon refused to lift it for trick-or-treating but he did get me a lot of candy for some reason. The chocolate’s the last of it” Stefan explained, pulling out a big, fancy looking box of chocolates

Dean leaned over and plucked one. “Don’t mind if I do”

“This is really good” Sam said around the sugary sweetness

“It tastes like chocolate” Dean said plainly. “What's the high praise about?”

Stefan laughed as Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. Dean was so like Damon sometimes.

“What about the other ones?” Sam asked, gesturing to the still sizeable number of unopened presents on the table

Stefan waved a hand nonchalantly. “I'll open the rest later. Most of them are for Damon anyway”

_“No, Bonnie. It’s a boarding school in Switzerland, that’s all that is import… we don’t need the brochure Bon…what we need is for you to get us out of this hellhole, not some magazine on how to put on a uniform… if you were able to send it with all these damn presents, you can figure out how to get us out of this shithole Bon…”_

Stefan laughed again, while Sam and Dean were still a bit confused about how the parcels suddenly appeared out of nowhere. “It is some sort of mystical transportation. Bonnie has a fancy name for it but I don’t remember” he said in explanation to the Winchesters’ unasked question

“So basically, witchy FedEx?” Dean asked

“Something like that” he agreed. He leaned over and opened a smaller parcel, pulling out a magazine like the one Dean was reading earlier, and a letter. “I haven't heard of this school before” he said as he flipped the pages of the magazine

“Says here its barely a decade old. And they have their own university”

“Well what makes it unique? How different is it from these other overpriced resorts passing as schools to make your people change it?” Dean asked

“I think it’s like a designer school” Sam begun

“Designer school” Dean interrupted in a deadpan

“Yea. Like bespoke. Tailored to the needs of each student. It says here they don’t even take the SATs. “They have their own set of examinations…”

“How do you tailor a school to each student?”

“Maybe if you stopped interrupting me, I'll actually get to that part”

“I'm sorry, Principal Winchester. Please, do go on”

Stefan chuckled, and Sam rolled his eyes, but continued. “It’s for, like future CEOs and kids who are being prepared for a particular way of life and stuff like that. You know, people who are going to take over a business someday. They have their own curriculum and are groomed specially for these roles, so they don’t take any class that is not integral to these positions. I mean, they do basic math and English but a kid who’s going to be the manager or chief exec of a chain of hotels won't take calculus or something similar”

“I didn’t know that. How did Alaric and Elijah find this school?” Stefan queried, filing it away to ask his older brother later

“So, basically, they wear suits all the time and learn to be douchebags”

“Err, not exactly Dean. Look, they have to wear uniforms like everyone else. The official look is only on Mondays, I think, and they do have fun extracurriculars. Fencing, horse-riding, golf. There's more. A lot more”

“Sounds like a lot of trouble for some high school degree” Dean said, unimpressed. “What is wrong with regular high school?”

“Well, do they look like they would be complaining?” Sam asked, showing Dean the tuition and the salary range

Dean whistled. “That is a long figure just to teach some snot nosed kid how to sign documents and wear heels”

_“No, there's been no incident with Stefan … of course, I'm looking out for him, I've only been doing it since he was born … sorry, Ric …”_

“Is something wrong with you?” Sam asked, before noticing Dean shake his head at him.

Stefan, though, just shrugged nonchalantly. “Not at the moment. Right now, I'm fine” he said, unconsciously fingering the pendant around his neck

“But…” Sam prompted

“Sammy, leave it alone” Dean warned quickly

_“No, he's not been having nightmares…I know the signs, Ric, you don’t have…I assure you, he's okay…well there was an incident a couple days ago, but I handled it…”_

Stefan felt his face heat up a little at the mention of the ‘incident’. Only his vampire healing had enabled him to sit comfortably today. Sam still gave a little wince whenever he sat down. Also, true to his word, Damon had made him sleep for a really long time. With an almost exact replica of Dean’s words to Sam, he had been confined to his bed for the rest of the day and night. He tuned the rest of Damon’s call out as he went back to his iPod.

* * *

 

Damon was on the phone for a long time, and by the time he was finally done, Stefan and Sam were distracted doing other stuff. Sam was drawing, headphones in and blaring music, and Stefan was on his computer doing God-knows-what. Only Dean noticed the sudden quiet.

“So…” he begun. “Your babysitter replaced my gun”

Damon scoffed. “He's not my babysitter, and you deserved to lose the gun. You were pointing it at Stefan. That gun was a disgrace anyway”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever” Dean waved off. “I suppose that was your doing. Sam, and even Gabriela, also got something in the witch-mail. What is the excuse for that?”

Damon shrugged. “I don’t know what you're talking about”

“Uh huh. You know, you people are a weird bunch. No sane supernatural being goes buying stuff for hunters, let alone ones they haven't even seen before, even if it’s Christmas”

“Something about this strike you as sane?” Damon asked

Dean chuckled. “Not really, but it was a nice gesture. Be sure to thank them for me”

“You're not getting mushy on me, are you, Winchester?” Damon asked with a smirk

“Of course not. But I'm teaching Sammy manners, and I gotta demonstrate” Dean’s expected comeback provided

They both laughed heartily, brushing off the act, and being so alike in character, both of them understood the meaning behind it, even if they didn’t voice it out.

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my new story people. I have a few chapters written but its still a work in progress. Let me know how you like it and if I should continue in the comments.


End file.
